BECCA STEVENS

Hailed by The New York Times as a “best-kept secret” with an “impressively absorbing” debut album, Becca Stevens has established herself as a singer/composer of enormous talent. Her songs expand and blur the boundaries of folk, jazz, and pop while engaging the the listener through keen poetic observation, rich musical language, and beguiling singing. Her musical roots are in classical guitar, the folk music of her native North Carolina, and jazz, with additional influences ranging from West African rhythms to eccentric pop. Becca began her artistic career while still in diapers, singing and performing with her family band, the Tune Mammals. She received her high school diploma from the North Carolina School of the Arts where she studied classical guitar, and a BFA from The New School in New York City with majors in vocal jazz and composition. It was at The New School that Becca met most of the musicians who would eventually make up the Becca Stevens Band. Along with being band leader, composer, and arranger for the Becca Stevens Band, Becca’s career takes her in many directions – from recording and touring internationally with jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti, and as lead singer of Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra, to writing lyrics for and performing with drummer Eric Harland, saxophonist Logan Richardson, and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. Becca performs and records regularly in New York and can be heard on Sam Sadigursky’s Words Project (I & II), Gideon Van Gelder’s Perpetual, Andy Milne’s Layers of Chance (Dapp Theory), and as co-writer and featured performer on Taylor Eigsti’s new release Daylight at Midnight on Concord Records. She also debuted her first choral composition Soli Deo Gloria performed and commissioned in 2010 by the Melodia Women’s Choir in New York City. The Becca Stevens Band is looking forward to an April 5th release of their second album, Weightless, on Sunnyside Records. Other exciting collaborations for 2011 include touring with drummer/composer Eric Harland and his all star band, as well as a Carnegie Hall debut in March as the featured singer in a new work by pianist Brad Mehldau. This will be the last performance of Mehldau’s season-long residency of original works commissioned by Carnegie.